Electrical connectors



Sept. 4, 1956 c. w. HEATH 2,762,024

ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed Jan. 25, 1955 INVENTOR CLARENCE W\\ LP\NSHEATH BY :3 l I ATTORNEY ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Clarence Willans Heath,Bleasby, England, assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 25, 1955, Serial No.483,893

1 Claim. (Cl. 339126) This invention relates to electrical connectorsand more particularly to connectors adapted to receive an electricalplug or socket member.

According to the present invention an electrical connector comprises atubular housing in which is supported an electri al contact member, thehousing having one or more ci umferential slots formed therein and beingpositioned in an aperture formed in a base member, portions of which,adjacent to fine aperture, extend into said slots to receive the housingor assembly, the housing being flexible inwardly to permit its effectivediameter to be reduced or its cross-sectional shape to be varied toretract the slotted portions from the support to permit the housing tobe wididrawn from or inserted into said aperture.

A connector constructed according to one embodiment of the presentinvention will now be described in greater detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a connector according to one embodiment of theinvention mounted on a supporting base;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the socket shown in Fig. 1 turnedthrough an angle of 90;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the housing;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the supporting base on which the housing ismounted.

As shown the connector includes a metal housing 4 comprising a tube ofgenerally circular cross-section spht longitudinally at 5 in order tomake it resilient in a radial direction. Thus, diametrically oppositepoints of the member may be flexed inwardly towards the diam eter onwhich the split lies to decrease the effective dian'. eter of thehousing or to cause the cross-sectional slope of the housing 4 to bevaried, for example, to take an elliptical form as shown in dot-dashlines at 4a (Fig. 5) and thereby allow the insertion or withdrawal ofthe housing into or from the aperture 2 of the support i. The housing 4is provided adjacent to its lower end with a pair of circumferentiallyextending slots 6, 7 whose width is slightly greater than the thicknessof the base member 3; at its portions adjacent the aperture 2. From thelower end of the housing 4 extend a plurality of tags 8, and a wiringtag 9. The upper end of the housing is outwardly dared to form a lip 10and, intermediate this lip 1d and the slots 6, 7, inwardly projectingembossrnents 11 are provided. The lip 10 is provided to guide theinsertion hrto the member 4 of a co-operating plug member (not shown)and the embossments 11 are provided to engage within a recess, groove orthe like on the exterior face of the co-operating plug member so as toretain the plug member within the housing 4.

The housing 4 is secured on the base member 1 by flexing it inwardlysuch that its cross-section takes the form shown at 4:; (Fig. 5),inserting the lower end of the housing 4 through the aperture until theslots 6, 7 are positioned opposite the adjacent edges of the aperture 2,and then releasing housing 4 to allow it to regain dtates Patent 02,762,024 Eatented Sept. 4, 1956 its prefiexed form. In this positionthe portions 12, 13 of the base member 1 adjacent the aperture 2 willlie within the slots 6, 7 respectively of the housing 4 so that each ofthe opposite longitudinal edges of the slots will be disposed in anopposite side of the base member 1. Likewise, the housing is readilyremoved from the base 1 by flexing the housing inwardly to retract theslotted portions of the housing from the edge portions of the aperture2.

Located within the socket is an electrical contact member 14, which inthis embodiment of the invention comprises an electrical socket memberof a plug and socket coupling having a resilient plug receiving portion15 provided with an electrical contact solder tag 16 extending from thelower end.

The contact member 14 is located within the housing 4 and spacedtherefrom by an insulating sleeve 17 in which the contact member 14 ismounted. The sleeve 17 is prevented from rotating within the housing 4by a radial projection 17a which projects into an aperture or recess 17bin the housing. The sleeve is located axially within the member 4 byshoulder portions 18, 19 of sleeve 17 abutting the lower face ofportions 12, 13 respectively of base member 1 and by the tags 8 whichare bent to project inwardly over the lower face of the sleeve 17.

The base member 1 is provided with fixing holes 3, 3 for the receptionof screws or the like by which the connector may be secured to a panelor like support.

The connector is primarily intended to receive a plug member including ametal sleeve portion adapted to be inserted into the housing of theconnector, the arrangement being such that the sleeve of the plug, wheninserted, expands the housing and accordingly prevents its inwardmovement such as would disengage it from the base member 1. The plugmember may be for use with a co-axial TV aerial lead and in this casethe sleeve of the plug will be earthed through the housing of theconnector.

It will be appreciated that although in the above described embodimentthe connector is shown as provided with a plug receiving socket, it mayequally well be provided with an electrical plug member co-operable witha socket member adapted to be inserted into the housing 4.

I claim:

An electrical installation comprising a supporting plate having anaperture, an electrical connector carried by said plate including atubular housing, said housing having one or more circumferential slotsformed therein, said plate having walls adjacent said aperture extendinginto said slots to receive said housing, said housing being flexibleinwardly to permit its effective diameter to be reduced or itscross-sectional shape to be varied to retract the slotted portions fromthe support to permit the housing to be withdrawn from or inserted intosaid aperture, an insulating sleeve carried by and disposed within saidhousing, said sleeve having upper and lower ends, said housing havingelements engaging said lower end of said sleeve for limiting withdrawalof said sleeve in one direction, said sleeve having an exterior abutmentdisposed adjacent a slot of said housing, said abutment engaging thelower surface of said supporting plate adjacent said aperture thereoffor limiting withdrawal of said sleeve in an opposite direction, and ametal contact member carried by said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,248,399 Watts July 8, 1941 2,642,566 Regnier June 16, 1953 2,653,181Millett Sept. 23, 1953

